Chapter 54: The Yun Estate's Stormy Weather (Part 1)

  "Yes, Mother-in-law. Accompanying the great-grandmother to chat and relieve boredom is what we juniors should do, it's also a blessing." Old Master Yao was naturally willing with all his heart, smiling from ear to ear as he agreed, and simply reminded Yaocun and her sister a few words, and the sisters responded one by one.

  A flash of displeasure crossed Mrs. Ma's face, and seeing that Yao Cunhui didn't intend to let Ma Qunfang stay behind either, she herself pushed Ma Qunfang forward with a smile: "Since Fang'er has come today, have her kowtow to the old lady and ask for her blessing too, so she can share in the old lady's good fortune!"

  Ma Qunfang was also anxious and entangled in her heart, hearing Ma said so, she took the opportunity to move forward, knelt down gently, bowed her head and knocked her head, wishing Cloud Old Lady a happy birthday.

  Yun Lao Tai Jun was taken aback and smiled: "Is this... the niece of your mother's family, who came with Mei Er before?"

  "Old lady's memory is really good, that's right!" Mrs. Ma was delighted to see that Old Lady Yun still remembered.

  "Heh heh, get up quickly! What a lovely girl, with a good temperament and able to speak well!" Old Lady Yun said as she ordered someone to bring over a pair of red gemstone inlaid gold bangles to reward Ma Qunfang. Ma Qunfang was both surprised and delighted, and graciously thanked her as she accepted the gift."

  As long as the cloud old lady likes it, as long as she stays in the cloud house, can't she see Yun Jinzhong? Thinking of that handsome and elegant figure like a fairy, Ma Qunfang felt her heart beating twice as fast.

  "Mei'er is also lonely at home, I kept her sister, so I won't keep you, go back and accompany Mei'er well, lest Mei'er blames me for being a biased old woman!" Yun Lao Taikun still had a kind smile on his face, saying with a gentle tone.

  Ma Qunfang's smile on her face suddenly stiffened, and she looked at Yao Cunhui in a daze, unsure of what to do. Yao Cunhui, holding Yao Shizan, pretended not to see.

  Mr. Yao's gaze stopped Mrs. Ma, who was about to speak again, and he smiled at Old Lady Yun, saying: "Thank you, Old Lady, for thinking of Mei'er. Unfortunately, the child is not lucky enough to come and pay her respects today, but I will definitely have her come over to apologize later!"

  "Haha, look what you said, Mei'er is also my granddaughter, how could I not love and miss her? In the future when you're free, just come over, relatives should visit each other often!"

  "Yes, yes, old lady is absolutely right!" Mr. Yao nodded and smiled, feeling delighted in his heart, and led Ma Shi and Ma Qunfang out.

  Two carriages came, and two went back, but Ma Qiang Fang rode alone in one.

  "Hui'er is right, leaving Fang'er with her sisters to keep each other company isn't a bad idea either. But that wooden thing just stood there and didn't even know how to say a few words of comfort!" Madam Ma got into the carriage and couldn't help but complain, adjusting her collar in annoyance.

  Mr. Yao glared at her, grumbling, his face sinking as he stared at her: "Don't give me these ridiculous ideas! What's this about taking care or not? Hui'er and the others are in their paternal grandmother's home, do they still need your niece's care? Don't think I don't know what you're thinking in that heart of yours! Let me tell you, put away those thoughts that shouldn't be had!"

  Now that there are three younger siblings of Yao Shizan, the Yun family will not be distant from their own family. The close and distant relationships between them are clear in Old Man Yao's heart.

  Ma's eyes widened in surprise, and she lowered her head, not daring to speak. After a while, she muttered under her breath: "I'm doing all this for the old master!"

  Ridiculous! Old Master Yao glanced at her and didn't bother to respond, so he closed his eyes and leaned against the carriage wall to rest. Suddenly opening his eyes, he said lightly: "Our Yao family is also a reputable merchant family with a good reputation, a few maids can't compare with the grandeur of the imperial nobility, but they can't be too shabby either. Turn back and increase the allowance, assign two more people to serve!"

  Ma heard this and felt a lump in her throat, Old Master Yao deliberately said this at this time, obviously for the sake of Yao Cun Jia and Yao Cun Hui, it seemed that her own daughter was basking in their glory!

  Another day passed, and the birthday banquet of Yun Lao Tai Jun finally came to an end. The entire Yun household was busy cleaning up and putting things in order, and it took them three days to barely tidy up the main hall. Only then could Yao Cun Jia sisters formally meet the third uncle and cousins of the Yun family. During these two or three days, Yun Lao Tai Jun had a few detailed conversations with Yao Cun Jia sisters, and she already had some understanding of their situation. The old lady was heartbroken and pitied them even more, and she comforted them warmly.

  Yun Dalao's brother-in-law, Yun Xinzhong, was the Temple Minister of the Ministry of Rites. He was the maternal uncle of Yao Cunhui and her siblings, who had a particularly close relationship with him since childhood. As he stroked Yao Shizan's head, his face turned pale and he almost shed tears. Looking at Yao Cunhui, he smiled warmly and comforted her with a few words. Yun Dafu's wife, Jiang Shi, was also a kind and gentle person who treated them very well. The eldest son of the main house, Yun Jinchong, his wife Min Shi, and their two daughters, Yun Zhi, had become more familiar with them in recent days.

  Yun Er Lao Ye Yun Xin Ke and Yun San Lao Ye Yun Xin Qi were both born to the same mother, but were illegitimate children. They both served as guards in the Vanguard Camp. Their birth mother had long since passed away, and they, along with their wives, Qi Shi and Zhao Shi, treated Yao Cun Hui's siblings with a mixture of politeness and distance. The two older brothers from the second house, Yun Jin Lan and Yun Fang (the eldest sister, Yun Mi, was already married), as well as the fourth younger sister from the third house, Yun Ru, the fifth younger sister, Yun Yin, and the third younger brother, Yun Jin Jian, also treated them differently than the first house, their gazes always carrying a hint of scrutiny.

  After a brief formal greeting, Old Lady Yun ordered everyone to disperse and only called out Cloud's name to stay behind, saying she was to keep company with the sisters Yao Cunjia and Yao Cunhui.

  Qizhi and Zhaoshi exchanged a glance, then Qizhi smiled and said: "It's rare for Jia'er and Hui'er to come. They are sisters by marriage and should be close. Why not let Fang'er and Ruer stay behind and chat together? Jinlian and Zhang'er are also of the same age, it's just right for them to keep each other company!"

  Yun Lao Tai Jun's face showed a hint of displeasure, and after a moment of silence, she smiled faintly and said: "What you said isn't wrong either, so let's all stay here then!"

  Jiang Shi glanced at Meng Shi and smiled: "You'd better stay too, Elder Lady, take good care of the sisters!"

  "Yes, mother." Min Shi gazed at Yun Lao Tai Jun for a moment and saw that the old lady had no objections, only then did she bow her head to answer Jiang Shi.

  Everyone left at once.

  Yun Lao Tai Jun was an elderly person, although she liked the hustle and bustle of her children and grandchildren, but with so many people around, she couldn't keep up. After chatting for a while, she started to feel tired. Yun Zhi and Yao Cun Hui exchanged a glance, and Yao Cun Hui suggested taking a walk in the garden. So, Min Shi led her sisters, Yao Shi Zan and Yun Jin Jian, to play at the Zi Wei Pavilion by the lake. Yao Cun Jia stayed behind to attend to Yun Lao Tai Jun.

  Yao Shizan and Yun Jinlian were boys with lively personalities, the two of them each had their own personal attendants playing and laughing on the grass, while Yao Cunhui, Yun Zhi, Yun Fang, and Yun Ru were in the Ziwei Pavilion playing double six, drinking tea and chatting.

  Before long, the big girl from the Min family's house hurried over and whispered something to her. A look of worry flashed across Mrs. Min's face, and she quietly instructed the servant girl to leave.

  "Eldest sister, what's wrong with Big Niece?" Yun Zhi asked anxiously as she saw the situation. She recognized that this nurse was helping the wet nurse take care of Min Shi's daughter, Big Niece, who had just turned one year old.

  "There's nothing, kids at home are just prone to crying and making a fuss, it'll be fine in a moment! This old woman is also someone who gets things done, didn't expect her to get so worked up today, and now the younger sisters and cousins are laughing at us!" Madam Min said with a smile.

  "Big sister-in-law, why don't you go take a look at the big girl? Such a small child is gone and her mother can't help but make a fuss. Wouldn't big sister-in-law be heartbroken later on? Don't worry, we're not kids anymore, where do we need big sister-in-law to watch over us every step of the way? You go ahead!" Yao Cunhui knew that the Cloud family had strict rules and Mrs. Cloud had spoken, so Min Shi didn't dare to just leave, hence she said this.

  Yun Zhi, Yun Fang and others also followed suit. Seeing this, Mr. Min thought that nothing would happen, and secondly, he was worried about his daughter, so he politely said a few words and left in a hurry.

  Yao Cunhui and others continued to play without mentioning it.

  Suddenly, a commotion broke out from the direction of Yaoshi Zan and Yun Jin Jian. The two children had somehow gotten entangled and started fighting, letting out ear-piercing cries. The young servants and maidservants rushed over to intervene, shouting in alarm, while Yao Cun Hui, Yun Zhi, and others were shocked and hastily ran over.

  Yao Cunhui and others had not yet arrived, but only saw Yun Jinjian's nurse He Yatou already rushed forward one step ahead, shielding Yun Jinjian behind her, and scolded Yao Shizan fiercely: "Where did this wild little boy come from? Don't you know the rules? You don't even look at what kind of place this is, dare to be so presumptuous in the Yun Mansion!"

  "Don't bully my little brother! Don't bully my little brother!" Yun Yīn's twin sister, Yun Yǐ, saw her brother crying and got angry, her small face turning bright red as she rushed forward to push Yao Shīzàn.

  "Stop! What are you doing!" Yun Zhi was shocked and hastily shouted.

  "Good!" Yao Cunhui also came forward and hastily summoned.

  "Second sister!" Yao Shizan let out a loud wail and flung herself into Yao Cunhui's arms. Yao Cunhui wrapped her arms around her, gently patting her back.

  Yun Ruo saw the second sister scolding herself, pouting her mouth and rubbing her eyes, wailing loudly. Yun Ru saw that her younger sister was crying, and hurriedly pulled her into her arms to comfort her with gentle words.

  Yun Fang stood by, looking at this and that, biting her lip, unsure of what to say.

  Yun Qian, being the eldest and the mistress of the manor, immediately frowned and scolded He Yiniang: "The rules of hierarchy in this manor seem to be mere decorations. What did you just say? How dare you speak like that in front of Old Madam?"

  If these words were spoken by Mrs. Yun or Madam Yun Min, Aunt He would not dare to retort. Cloud Fragrance is just an unmarried young lady, and the second and third branches have always been at odds with the main branch. In recent days, they have seen Old Lady Yun favoring the children of Yao Cunhui, who are also the children of the eldest daughter of the main branch. Although Mr. Yun Er and Mr. Yun San did not say anything, Qi Shi and Zhao Shi had already felt disgusted in their hearts and had whispered to their confidants in their own courtyard several times.

  "What's wrong with you, Second Miss? Don't scare me! I was just momentarily anxious and spoke out of turn. Who doesn't know that Third Young Master is our mistress's darling? If he suffers such grievances, when he returns, our mistress will scold me severely. I'm also worried about this, how can I not follow the rules? If I don't follow the rules, can our mistress trust me to serve Third Young Master? I'd like to ask Table Young Master a question: as his older brother, shouldn't he yield to his younger brother? Why must he be so petty with Third Young Master? If there's any offense, I'll apologize on behalf of Third Young Master. Please don't bully our Third Young Master again! His body is delicate and can't withstand being frightened!"